By Robbie Neiswanger
Arkansas News Bureau • rneiswanger@arkansasnews.com
FAYETTEVILLE — One stop turned into two. Two turned into three. Three turned into four.
In all, Arkansas’ first-team offense was stymied by the starting defense for seven straight run plays during a brief portion of Saturday’s 195-play scrimmage in Razorback Stadium. Seven times the offense dug in and was determined to move the chains on fourth-and-one plays. But seven times the defense stood strong, refusing to yield an inch.
Naturally, there were two different ways to look at it once the scrimmage was over.
“I was happy with the defense, not happy with the offense,” coach Bobby Petrino said.
“The offense was at a little bit of a disadvantage because we don’t have many of our short-yardage goal-line formations in. And I just let (defensive coordinator) Willy (Robinson) put everybody on the line of scrimmage. But I thought it was good and showed a lot of aggressiveness by our defense, understanding the sticks. We could have gotten the first one, but Knile (Davis) slipped. And after that we kind of got whipped.”
Arkansas closed its third week of spring practice with its longest scrimmage to date, one that answered a few questions about the Razorbacks as they prepare for 2011.
For the second straight week, the first-team defense stood strong against an offense that made a habit of breaking off big plays during Petrino’s first three springs on campus.
The big moment Saturday came more than 100 plays in, when the defense recorded stop after stop against the offense during the seven-play sequence. Three running backs — Davis, Ronnie Wingo and Broderick Green — all had cracks at picking up a first down. But each time, the starting defense overwhelmed ball carriers.
“That was probably the highlight of our day,” Arkansas defensive end Jake Bequette said. “We showed a great attitude and enthusiasm with that sequence. My favorite part about it was that different guys were making plays. It wasn’t just one guy. And the offense wasn’t just running one play, it was a variety.”
It was a sequence that also showed how far off Arkansas is in trying to equal the success it achieved running the ball during the second half of the 2010 season. Davis and a veteran offensive line sliced through defenses, making Arkansas’ offense even harder to stop.
But three of those offensive linemen are gone and, so too, is quarterback Ryan Mallett. The running backs are all the same, but Petrino said Arkansas still hasn’t meshed together as a unit when it comes to running the football.
It showed during Saturday’s scrimmage.
“We still have a long way to go in our running game to sustain our blocks and finish and pen up the seams for our running backs,” Petrino said. “Our timing is just not where it needs to be yet. We need to do a better job of getting there quicker than we did a year ago.
“I know it always takes some time, but we need to get to it quicker than we did a year ago.”
Arkansas did have some good moments, though, in moving the football Saturday. The Razorbacks got off to a better start after struggling early on in last week’s scrimmage.
Quarterback Tyler Wilson (34 of 51 for 418 yards with 2 touchdowns and an interception) led the offense downfield on an 80-yard touchdown drive, which was capped by Ronnie Wingo’s one-yard run. Brandon Mitchell (15 of 27 for 237 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions) had his moments, too, completing a 35-yard touchdown pass to receiver Joe Adams against the first-team defense.
Adams caught 12 passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns of 59 and 35 yards. Running back Dennis Johnson rushed for three touchdowns.
“I thought definitely we came out with more energy,” Arkansas offensive coordinator Garrick McGee said. “There was more passion and energy. That was better. We had a good start to the scrimmage. Before watching the film I think we did convert third downs and kept some drives going. We’ve just got to continue to improve.”
The defense made its share of plays, too, including Elton Ford’s interception return for a touchdown and Tramain Thomas’ athletic one-handed pick of a Tyler Wilson pass. Defensive end Tenarius Wright had a strong day with three tackles for losses, while sophomore Chris Smith recorded two sacks and two more tackles for losses with the second-team defense.
Arkansas also cut down on the big-play touchdowns that plagued it last week. The Razorbacks’ longest running play was 21 yards.
“We keep getting better,” Petrino said. “We’re playing our gap control. I really think we have a chance to be a very, very good defensive front that will really rush the passer. The key to us is to stop the run on a more consistent basis, so we can tee off and rush the passer.”
Petrino said afterward that the 195-play scrimmage gave Arkansas plenty of snaps to grade tonight. But he stretched the workout longer than last week’s, trying to test both sidelines to see how they reacted.
Arkansas players said they were obviously worn down at the end and believed it showed.
“We have to come out and grind more and have a better tempo,” Mitchell said. “At the same time, better leadership out on the field.”
The Razorbacks will get three more practices to do so next week with workouts set for Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Then, spring drills will wrap up with next Saturday’s Red-White Game, which will be televised by ESPN.
“We need to get tougher,” Petrino said. “I need to find out who the leaders are. That’s what I am really looking for. When it’s hard, when the pressure is on, who is going to have the positive attitude and who is going to lead the team in the right direction?
“I have seen it show up at times and at times we have flunked the test. But before it’s over with we will get to where we need to be.”
